In Love and War
by CosmicalMadison
Summary: When Clone Wars medic Mel Nova finds love with a patient, she thinks she has found happiness in life. Order 66 changes that. Rated T for some violence.
1. Talking to Mark

Title: In Love and War

Author: CosmicalMadison

Rating: T

Summary: When Clone Wars medic Mel Nova finds unexpected love with a patient, she thinks she has found happiness in life. But Order Sixty-Six changes that.

Setting: During _Revenge of the Sith_

Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Star Wars; it belongs to that genius George Lucas. However, I do own my original characters (which is pretty much everyone). I also want to make it clear right now that I know next to nothing about hospitals or medical procedures and the like, Star Wars or otherwise. I have read the first two or three chapters of Medstar One: Battle Surgeons and can see that this story probably doesn't really jive with how medical bases in the Star Wars universe really are, but I have done my best. Please just enjoy the story!

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Chapter One - Talking With Mark

For as long as she could remember, Melalaiya Nova had wanted to be a nurse. One of her earliest memories was of standing in front of a mirror clad in her mother's medic uniform and holding her stuffed nerf, saying, "Are you ready for your checkup, Nerfie?"

That, and once when she was eight wanting to have everyone call her "Nursie Mel-Mel," even her friends at school - oh, how she'd been embarrassed by that when reminded of it years later!

But little did she know how serious this childhood ambition would become.

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Now, thirteen years later, she was a junior medic doing such things as setting broken bones, taking care of the sick, and checking up on long-term patients. It was the time of the great Clone Wars and she was stationed on the backwater planet of Kakashna taking care of the ones who were wounded in battle. It was clone troopers mostly, but there was also the occasional Jedi and often a civilian or two.

Presently, she had five people on her schedule: three troopers, a female Jedi, and a civilian boy who, unfortunately, happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was early afternoon on a slow day - there hadn't been many new ones today - and she was about to see her third patient, a clone trooper.

Now, one thing she did that others didn't was give her long-term clone patients names. Of course, before the clones came to her they did not have names, only number designations - the one she was about to see was called 672-A9 or something like that, she wasn't sure. She liked to have another name to call them by, because the numbers to her just seemed strange, not to mention cold and unfriendly. In a way, she was violating her orders as a nurse: to give names to patients who had none was to become attached to them. But, then again, that had always been one of her faults as a nurse. She just couldn't remain distant. She loved people, loved making friends, loved talking about anything and everything with anyone she could make contact with. Of course, she didn't tell anyone about this, except of course the patients, because she would certainly be cut from the team, demoted to equipment manager or something awful like that.

Well, on a lighter note, this one she called Mark. If anyone had known, they might have asked her, "Why Mark?" And she would have answered that back when she was young her father had always told her stories about a young medic named Colra Mar that once lived on their home planet of Corellia. Mel didn't know if the tales were true or not, but they lacked nothing. There was always action, drama, comedy, and a sub-plot love story, of course. The tale in the saga had gone that Colra had been in love with a boy named Mark and that one day he had been thrown from his speeder in a terrible accident, paralyzed from the neck down. Through an unfortunate twist of fate, Colra had been assigned as Mark's caretaker. One dark night when she came to say goodbye to him at the end of her shift, he told her how much he loved her and said that he would rather die than live this way. Then he asked at unthinkable. He told Colra to kill him, to give him a shot of something that would take away this horrible excuse for a life he was living. Tearfully, she agreed and went through with the plan. The next day when Mark's body was found and Colra confessed to what she had done, she was stripped of her rank as medic and sent to a prison where she would spent the rest of her days for her "crime." Mel had named this brave trooper in honor of Colra's lost love.

Now, there was nothing seriously wrong with him, only that he had been shoved off of a high balcony during a skirmish, incredibly landing on his feet. His only injuries were two broken ankles and a slight concussion from when the rest of his body hit the ground. He had been in the makeshift hospital for two days now, and after another twenty-four to forty-eight hours or so, after the swelling went down, she would set his ankles and put them in casts. Then he would be moved to the small building separate from the main hospital that was reserved for extended-stay patients. He would stay there for about a week while he healed, then probably go back to the war. Mel didn't know what would happen to him, and in a way she didn't want to. She couldn't bear the thought of him being restationed on another planet, injured again or maybe even killed when she couldn't see him or even communicate with him in any way. He was her favorite patient and they were even on a first-name basis. She told herself that she didn't have feelings for him, but had anyone known about it they would have told her she was fooling herself.

As Mel strode briskly across the room towards the bed of her favorite patient, her medic's tunic swirling around her legs, she glanced at the clipboard she held in her arms. Yes, it would be either today or tomorrow that Mark's ankles were to be set, depending on his progress when she checked him in a few minutes. She reached his bedside with a huge smile on her face and dumped the clipboard into the slot at the foot of the bed. "How are you doing today, Mark?" she said brightly, though the name a bit more softly to be sure that no one heard.

He sat up a little and smiled back at her. "Fine, thank you, Mel." He sighed. "Although more than a tad anxious to get out of this stinking bed."

"You'll be out soon enough," Mel replied. "Now, let me check you out." She went to the end of the bed, flipped up the sheet, and removed the protective covering that covered his feet. "You know, Mark, you're due to be set in a day or two." She noted that the swelling had gone down considerably, though the ankles still bulged purple.

"Yeah." Mark winced at the thought of his ankles being set. He had heard tales from the other soldiers in his troop of having bones set without being put out first. This backwater hospital rarely received shipments of supplies, so they often ran out of the drug used to push patients into unconsciousness. "Mel, are you sure you won't be receiving any of that drug before then?"

The young nurse smiled sadly. "I'm afraid not, Mark. We just got a shipment a couple of weeks ago and the next one's not due for more than a month yet." She picked the clipboard back up and marked her patient's progress, noting that he would be ready for the procedure tomorrow.

Mark sighed again and frowned heavily. "Isn't there a way you can get some of it from one of the local village hospitals?"

Mel flipped the blankets at the foot of the bed back into place, put the clipboard into its slot again, and moved to Mark's side. "You forget that the people of Kakashna are not as advanced in their medicine as are other worlds." She shook her head sadly. "They don't have any. Well, maybe some in very limited quantities in some of the larger cities, but they're so far away and we dare not take it form them."

"Why?" he tilted his head to one side quizzically.

Mel smiled. "Oh, Mark, you ask too many questions. Remember, you have to rest up so you're ready for the procedure tomorrow."

"It's going to be tomorrow already?" A worried look stole over his face and there was an uncharacteristic tremor in his voice.

"Don't worry, Mark," she tried to comfort him. "It will only take a few minutes. I wish I could tell you that it won't hurt, but that would be a lie. But you're a strong guy; I know that you can get through it. Then you can go back out there and fight again, maybe end this blasted war a little bit sooner for all of us."

A beautiful smile took over the scared look in his eyes. "Thanks, Mel. I'm so glad that you believe in me."

"Of course I do." She echoed his smile, then glanced across the room at another bed, another patient, and sighed. She wished she could stay with Mark just a little longer, but she knew she had a responsibility to her other patients. "Sorry, Mark, but I have to see Master Lukais now. Just be sure you get some rest tonight, and don't worry about the procedure, okay? I'll be here for you. And once your ankles are set, it's just a week in Recovery and you can get out of here."

"Yeah," he said dreamily, and she could see his eyes light up with happiness at the thought of escaping the hospital, just like so many others. "I can't wait."

"I'll bet." She glanced at the other patient again, then back to Mark, duty still pulling her one way, personal feelings another. "I'm sorry, Mark, but I've got to go. See you tomorrow, bright and early, okay?"

"Okay. I'll - " but he cut himself off. She knew what he'd been about to say: I'll look forward to it. Just like he did everyday when she said goodbye, said she'd see him again tomorrow. He corrected himself, saying: "I'll look forward to seeing to you, not to the setting."

She grinned. "Yeah. Well, see you."

"Goodbye," he said.

The nurse once more retrieved her clipboard and turned toward the Jedi Master's bed, mind already clicking over the facts about her ailment.

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So, there's the first chapter, what do you think? I hope you liked it.

Please review me, but if you do I have a few suggestions. Instead of just "Your story was great, please write more," (though that's certainly acceptable), I would appreciate it even more if you would say exactly what was so good about it. For example: was it how I handled dialogue, characterization, description, or what ever. In the case that you (sniff) don't like it, what was bad? Not enough description, not enough dialogue, whatever you think. Thanks a lot; I look forward to hearing from you!


	2. The Procedure

Title: In Love and War

Author: CosmicalMadison

Rating: T

Disclaimer/Summary: See Chapter One

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Chapter Two - The Procedure

Mel awoke early the next morning, already dreading the procedure. She stood in the center of the small bunk building she shared with six other nurses and two cooks and quickly got into her uniform, then headed toward the hospital.

When she stepped out the door of her quarters, the hospital was just across the clearing. It was an odd building, she admitted, made of rough planks of the local, purple djurba wood and covered with a dry grass thatch roof. To the right of it, growing off the hospital like a wart, was the mess hall and, further over, separate from the main building, was the men's quarters and small employee rec center.

The nurse headed straight for the hospital, hoping that she would arrive before anyone else so that she could see Mark right away, but deep down she doubted that that would happen. And, sure enough, she was right. When she arrived at the door, she was met by one of the two head nurses, a strict, dark-haired women named Karla Myai.

"Melalaiya," Karla said, glancing up from her clipboard, "What brings you here so early?"

Caught, Mel stuttered, "I - um - I was wondering if I could get in to see one of my patients before everyone else arrives."

"Sorry," the older women said, "I can't let you do that. It's against regulations."

Mel sighed. "I had a feeling you'd say that."

"Hmm," Karla replied, "Then it was a waste of time for you to come here so early." She swung a pointed finger to the door leading to the cafeteria. "Now march your little nursie behind over to the mess hall and fetch yourself some breakfast. Can't work well on an empty stomach, you know."

"Yeah," Mel muttered. Knowing that it was useless to argue with the head nurse, she turned around and entered the cafeteria.

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Minutes later, the young nurse was sitting alone at a table, eating her bland-tasting omelet accented by the tasteless mudja bean. Suddenly, she heard a male voice say, "Is it all right if I sit here?" Mel looked up to see one of her friends, a handsome young doctor named Joaquin Briggand, who would be her partner in the coming procedure.

"Of course," she replied.

He placed his tray on the table across from her and seated himself. Smiling, he said, "So, Mel, are you nervous about Trooper 672-A9's ankle setting today?"

"Yes, a little," she admitted.

"Well," Joaquin said, "That's okay. I always get a little nervous before a procedure too, so don't feel bad." Mel laughed at the thought. The young doctor looked confused. "What's so funny?"

Mel giggled again. "The nurses always say you're the doctor with nerves of steel. You never get nervous."

He joined her laughter. Once he had collected himself again, he replied, "That's how it would appear, but I think it's just that I hide it well."

Mel smiled again, then glanced at the chrono on the wall. "Oh, my gosh!" she exclaimed.

"What?" Joaquin asked in concern.

"I'm supposed to be getting ready for my rounds by now," the nurse answered.

"I'm sorry," Joaquin said. "I didn't mean to keep you for so long. If Karla yells at you, just blame it on me." He winked.

"Okay, I will." Mel said. Picking up her tray, she stood. "Well, gotta go. See you at 1400."

He nodded goodbye, his mouth full of mudja omelet. "Mmtil thnn."

Mel also nodded and walked away to dump her leftovers.

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By 1330 hours, Mel was already by Mark's bedside getting her equipment ready. Really, the "equipment" consisted of nothing more than two pairs of sterile gloves and a set of restraints to keep her patient from upsetting the procedure.

She was just starting to attach the restraints to the edges of the bed when Mark woke from a nap. She smiled down at him. "Good afternoon, sleepyhead."

He smiled back at her. "Afternoon, Melalaiya." He frowned when he saw the restraints. "You're going to put me in those, I presume?"

Mel nodded. "Yes. I'm sorry, but we can't risk having you upset the process in your pain."

"Great. So it really will hurt that badly?"

"Yes." She frowned. "But I'll be here for you, Mark."

He sighed sorrowfully. "Will it be just you?"

Mel shook her head. "No. Dr. Joaquin Briggand will be helping. You've met him. He's really nice; he'll take it easy on you. If you tell him to stop, he will, but keep in mind that eventually we'll have to go on."

Mark nodded.

Suddenly, the words "Are you ready, Nurse Mel?" floated over her shoulder.

The young woman whirled around to see her partner standing there. "Joaquin!"

He laughed merrily. "Something wrong, Mellie?"

She scowled at him. "You have this knack for sneaking up on people, that's all."

"I'm sorry," he said. "Didn't mean to scare you."

"Let me assure you that you didn't."

Suddenly, there was an almost audible change in the doctor's appearance and he was all business. "Okay, time to start the procedure. Are you prepared?"

"Yes, of course." She handed her partner a pair of gloves.

"Thank you." He slipped them on and moved to the end of the bed.

Mel snapped on her own gloves and followed him, lifting up the end of the blanket and folding it over so that the Joaquin could more easily access his patient's feet.

"Good," he said. "The swelling has gone down considerably. I'd say that we definitely have a go on doing the procedure right now."

Mel nodded affirmatively.

Joaquin nodded back to her. "Do up the restraints."

Mel did as she was told, strapping the cuffs around Mark's wrists and knees and connecting them back up to the bed. She set her face grimly. She was determined to show no emotion in front of Joaquin, no matter what.

The doctor looked up at her. "Are you ready?"

"Yes."

"Alright then. I'll do the first ankle, if you want to do the second."

"That sounds fine."

He nodded. "Alright. We're ready to begin."

Mel moved up to her patient's side and slid her hand into his, whispering, "If it hurts, and it will, just squeeze my hand. And don't worry about yelling or crying. Don't be embarrassed. You wouldn't be the first." He nodded, face pale, eyes wide.

She looked up at Joaquin. "He's ready."

The doctor looked at the trooper. "Okay. This is how it's going to work. First, I'll feel the bones in your foot to see which ones need to be moved. That shouldn't hurt too much. Then I will proceed to move the misplaced bones back to their proper spots. I won't lie to you; it will hurt pretty badly when they snap back into place and will probably ache afterwards. I will then apply the wrapping that will keep the bones in place while they meld back together. Nurse Melalaiya will then repeat the process with the other foot. Finally, you will be moved to the residents' building where you will spend about a week before you are released to go back to your duties. Do you understand?"

Mark nodded, looking justly frightened.

"I will begin now."

Joaquin hadn't even touched the trooper's feet yet, but already Mark was gripping Mel's hand with all of his strength. She longed to say something soothing, but couldn't risk her partner overhearing.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, the doctor slowly placed his fingers on the patient's ankle and began to feel for the misplaced bones. Mel heard Mark sigh with relief at the fact that this part of the procedure carried with it no pain. Then, Joaquin announced, "Okay, I've located the misplaced parts and will now proceed to move them back into place." Mark nodded solemnly.

Mel saw her partner's finger enter the fleshy cavity of the ankle, feeling for the right place to move the bone to. She knew he had seized it not because she saw him, but because her patient's grip on her hand suddenly became like a vice, accented by a sharp jerk as he tried to pull away from the pain. "Hey," she whispered to him, "just try to relax. The less you resist, the less time it will take for us to finish. Okay?" He gave her the slightest nod.

Meanwhile, back at the end of the bed, Joaquin took hold of the misaligned bone and eased back toward where it should be. Mel squeezed Mark's hand tighter, he gritted his teeth, trying not to scream. Suddenly, the bone snapped into place and a screech let loose from the patient. Quickly, Mel tried to quiet him. "Shh, it's over, it's okay." He looked pale. Suddenly, Mel had an alarming thought. What if Mark were to go into shock because of the undampened pain?

As if he had read her mind, Joaquin looked up. "Is he stable?"

Mel replied with a nod. "Yes, I think so."

"You think so?"

"He is," she confirmed.

"Alright then." Her partner moved to their patient's side, opposite Mel. "That's great." He motioned to the foot of the bed. "Your turn."

Mel moved to her place, trying not to betray her nervousness to the young doctor.

"Are you ready?" Joaquin asked.

"Yes," Mel replied. She snapped her left glove once, a nervous habit she'd had ever since med school. "I'm ready." And so she began. Her foot went much like the first, albeit taking a little longer since she had not had quite as much experience as her partner. When the bone did finally snap into place, she looked up. There was sweat pouring down her patient's face and he was still rather pale, but other than that he looked fine. The nurse looked up at Joaquin.

He nodded to her. "Nice job." Then he smiled down at the trooper. "And how are you feeling?"

"A bit better," the patient managed, wincing. "They're really sore, though."

"Yeah," agreed the doctor. "They probably will be for a couple of days. But in a week, or slightly less, you should be out of this place."

Mark smiled. "I'm definitely looking forward to that day."

Joaquin echoed his expression. "I'll bet you are." Then he turned to his partner. "You did well today, Mel." he said again. "I want you to check his vitals and get Kyra" - that was another nurse - "to get him settled in the resident's building. Then you can take the rest of the day off." He paused for a moment, then said jokingly, "You don't know how much I envy that."

She smiled. "Oh, I'll bet I do."

"Hmm. All right, I have other patients to see this afternoon, so I'll talk to you later."

"See you." Joaquin walked away, and Mel turned back to her patient. "So, Mark," she said softly, "How are you really feeling?"

"Well," he replied, "my ankles hurt like heck and I still have a week before I can escape this place. How would you feel?"

She giggled. "Pretty rotten. But you'll get through it. The resident building isn't so bad. If you can drag yourself down the hall you can even visit the patients' rec center. I've heard the vidgames there are pretty cool."

"Hmm. Sounds a lot better than this place."

"Oh, believe me, it is." She started to unlock the restraints and take his vitals. "So, what are you going to do once you get out of here?"

"I don't really know. Find out wherever my regiment is - there's a good chance they've been reassigned since my accident - and join up with them again. Work on winning this blasted war."

"That's good. I hope you can do that."

"What? Find my regiment or win the war?"

"Both, of course!"

"Of course." A shadow suddenly crossed his face.

Mel stopped what she was doing. "What's wrong? Does something hurt?"

"No, I'm fine." He smiled handsomely. "Just thinking about how much I'll miss you when I leave."

The young nurse blushed. "That's nice." By this time she had finished her work, and began to put her equipment back onto the cart to take to the equipment caretakers. "Well, I'm finished now. You try to get some rest and I'll send Kyra over to get you prepped for your move."

"Okay. See you."

"See you."

She took hold of the equipment cart's handle and wheeled it toward the drop-off. After seeing it safely there, she washed her hands and went looking for her colleague.

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So, what did you think of Chapter Two? (Psst, reviews are nice!)


	3. Feelings

Title: In Love and War

Author: CosmicalMadison

Rating: T

Disclaimer/Summary: See Chapter One

Chapter Three - Feelings

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The next day, Mel hurried through her regular patients and rushed over to the resident building to see Mark. When she walked in, she asked the overseer of the building, another nurse named Lliza, where he was, and was directed to the third room on the right. Upon entering the room, she saw the dark-haired young man resting on a hospital bead with his eyes closed. The room was sparsely furnished, containing only the bed, a table and two chairs, and a holoprojector with a few holo-vids stacked beside it.

The clone trooper's eyes flew open when she entered the room. "Mel, it's good to see you." He sat up, adding jokingly, "I was afraid you'd forgotten about me."

She smiled. "I came as quickly as I could; there where a couple of new patients that I had to help check in earlier. So, how are they treating you here?"

"Pretty well...though the food is pretty awful if I do say myself," he added wryly.

"Yeah, I've heard that. So, have you been down to the rec center yet?"

Mark shook his head. "No, not yet. The nurse that brought me here yesterday said that I shouldn't try to go anywhere for at least two days."

"Yeah, she's right. You'll be pretty sore for a while yet. You know, I could arrange for you to borrow a walker; with that you'd be on your feet sooner."

He scrunched up his face. "So much for my dignity."

Mel laughed. "Clones and their dignity! If it will help you..." She trailed off as she saw his face fall, realizing too late the mistake she had made. Mark hated to be referred to as a clone, even though he knew he was one. He preferred people to think of him as an individual, not as just a small part of a larger body. That was why he especially loved that she'd given him the name as she had.

"I'm sorry, Mark," she corrected quickly. "Really, I am. I wasn't thinking..."

"It's all right, Mel," he said, though the dark look remained.

Sensing the sudden downward spiraling of his mood, the young nurse suddenly wanted to do something to cheer him up. "I really am sorry, Mark," she said. "Is there something I can do for you?"

He looked up at her, dark eyes still flashing. "No, not right now. I'd just like some time alone."

Suddenly, she got the distinct impression that his sudden mood swing wasn't caused by her slip of the tongue, but by something else. "What's really the matter, Mark? You can't fool me; I know something's wrong."

"Nothing," he said brusquely. "I just don't feel well. I want to be left alone for a while. Okay?"

"Mark," she said pleadingly, "you don't have to hide from me. Trust me; I won't tell anyone. Now, tell me. What's wrong?"

"I just want to be alone," he repeated gruffly. "Please, just leave for a while."

She frowned, but obeyed. "All right, I'll leave, but I want you to know that I am sorry; if you want to talk to me about it tomorrow, I'll be ready to listen. All right?"

He nodded as she turned her back to him and left the room.

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A day later, at the same time, she headed once more for her favorite patient's room. Today she was determined to find out what had been bothering him yesterday. It worried her. Maybe Mark was having complications from the procedure. If so, he had to tell her so that the problems could be fixed. But somehow she didn't think that was it.

As she walked in, he was sitting on his bed watching a holo-vid. Immediately, he flicked it off and turned to face her.

"Good afternoon," she said. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," he said with a smile, but after a moment the joyful expression was swallowed up by seriousness.

Mel remained silent. If he wants to talk to me, he will. If I push it, he'll just pull away from me.

The trooper sighed heavily. "Mel, I'm sorry about yesterday."

"It's okay," she said quickly.

"No, it's not," Mark disagreed. "I shouldn't have treated you that way." Another sigh. "I...just have been having these weird feelings lately, and I was..." - he took a deep breath - "just a little depressed and angry about it."

"What kinds of feelings?" Mel asked, half afraid to hear the answer. For some strange reason, her mind darted to the possibility that he would tell her that he liked her. She'd heard many times in the past that doctor-patient relationships didn't last, though she'd never known anyone who'd gone through it personally. She crossed the room to stand beside his bed.

"Well, for one thing, feelings about you, Melalaiya." He looked up at her, dark eyes shining, and said abruptly, "I love you, Mel."

She sat down heavily on the bed beside him. "Mark, I...don't know what to say." She realized that she was trembling slightly from the shock.

"I'm sorry," the young man said quickly, "I've upset you. I'm sorry; forget about it. I don't know what I was thinking..."

She glanced over at him and saw that his face was bright red. Almost without conscious thought, she took his hand. "No, Mark," she said softly. "It's all right." She debated in herself for moment, then continued. "I...I sort of feel the same way about you."

He looked over at her. "Really?"

She nodded, once.

A huge smile spread over his face, as he took back his hand from her and scratched the back of his neck self-consciously. "So...ah...now what?" He turned his practically glowing face back on her.

Mel laughed nervously. "I...mm...don't know." She paused for a moment. "Well, you could start by telling me what else was troubling you yesterday."

Mark nodded at the suggestion. "Where do I begin?" he said softly to himself. He took a deep breath, let it out slowly. "You know, I'm not sure how to explain it. I just keep having these weird sensations, like I shouldn't be here, like there's something wrong, like...like...I just don't know." He hung his head in defeat.

Mel took his hand again, gently. "It's okay," she said softly. "You'll be all right. You're safe here. Nothing will happen to you; I won't let it."

He looked up at her, a slight smile gracing his face. "I know you won't."

Out of curiosity, Mel glanced at her chrono, but Mark caught the movement and misinterpreted it. "I'm sorry, I should let you go. You probably have other things to do. I've kept you here too long listening to me rattle on."

The nurse shook her head adamantly. "No, Mark, it's not like that. I'm really glad I came today. I...I feel a lot better than I did before I came. Today's been a little stressful, but that's all gone now." She gave him her friendliest smile. "Really."

He smiled back. "I'm glad. But still, don't you have some other duties to attend to, rather than just listening to me jabber?"

She glanced at the chrono again. It had been no less than an hour since she had entered Mark's room. With a sigh, she conceded. "I suppose so. I should go do my nighttime rounds and check on my other patients before they settle in for the night."

"Than go to bed yourself," Mark added.

"Yes," she agreed. I'll definitely have to sleep well tonight and mull over what happened today! She stood. "I suppose I'd better get going."

Mark nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow, right?"

Mel nodded. "Of course. I'll look forward to it."

He smiled, and she in return. As Mel headed for the door, Mark called after her, "I love you, Mel."

"Love you, too, Mark," she echoed softly.

As soon as the door was closed behind her, she rushed to the nearest refresher station, and pressing her back to the cool metal door of the stall let the thoughts explode in her mind. Oh, skies! I can't believe that just happened! He told me that he loved me, and I didn't only acknowledge him, I said that I feel the same! But, thinking more rationally, she knew that she did, in fact, agree. All along, her feelings for him had been growing, almost unbeknownst to her. Thinking back farther, she remembered that this was one of the things that she really wanted in her life, a man who loved her. And now one had almost literally been dropped right onto her lap! Either way, she knew that those tense few moments had changed her life forever.

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I've never written a love story with this kind of thing in it before, so I'm not entirely sure that I handled it in the best way. (Keep that in mind if you review me.) If you have comments or suggestions, you know what to do.


	4. Saying Goodbye

Title: In Love and War

Author: CosmicalMadison

Rating: T

Disclaimer/Summary: See Chapter One

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Chapter Four - Saying Goodbye

For the next few days, after the initial shock of what Mark had told her wore off, Mel felt like she was floating on air. She visited him every day after finishing her work, and having that to look forward did a lot for her morale, not to mention her patients'. After all, she had always wanted someone to love her, and to love back, and with Mark she had that chance. She felt this way for three days, until she remembered that Mark was leaving the hospital to go back to the war the next day.

Right away, she went to see him. As usual, he was resting on his bed, watching her favorite holodrama, May the Blue Bird Sing, a love story starring famous holoactress Patritzi Melendez. Mel crossed the room and sat beside Mark, watching the last few minutes of the holo with him. Then he flicked off the holoprojector and turned to her.

Seeing the unhappy expression on her face, Mark looked surprised. "What's wrong, Melalaiya? I thought that that was your favorite."

She blinked back the tears that suddenly threatened. "It is, Mark; it's not that. I was just thinking. You leave tomorrow."

Mark suddenly looked a little down, too. "Oh, that. Yes..."

He seemed at a loss for words, so Mel spoke up. "I'll miss you," she said softly.

Mark turned tearful eyes to her, and then his arms were around her, and hers around him. "I'll miss you, too, Mel."

Mel jerked back, and Mark also pulled away, surprise flashing through his dark eyes. "What's wrong now?"

"Oh, my gosh," Mel said sadly, "I just remembered that I'm fully booked tomorrow from early morning to late evening. I won't even be able to come over here to see you off."

"Well, then," he said, standing up. "We'll just have to say our goodbyes now." He reached down, took her hand, and pulled her up to stand before him. Tentatively, he reached out and laid his hand on her check. "I'm really gonna miss you when I'm gone, Mel."

"I know." Now that sounded stupid... Abruptly, the temperature in the room seemed to rise a handful of degrees - or was it just her? The look Mark was giving her was making Mel uneasy. I hope I don't look like I feel...

Suddenly, he was moving closer to her...and then their lips met. At first, surprise overtook her, but then she relaxed. Mark had never kissed her before, but now she realized that this was just one of the many little steps they hadn't taken in their relationship.

After a moment he pulled back, a soft smile on his face. "Now where were we?"

This time, Mel could feel her face flush. "I...I don't know."

"I'm sorry," Mark said. "I've upset you again. I shouldn't have done that."

"No, no, it's okay," she said quickly. "It's fine. I'm just a little surprised, that's all."

"Oh." He just stood there for a moment, as if not knowing what to say. Mel was about to say something to break the strange silence, when he abruptly gripped her shoulders tightly. "Mel, I want you to promise that you'll wait for me. The Republic will win this war, and afterwards I'll come find you, wherever you are, wherever I am. Is that all right? Will you do it?"

A little shaken by his sudden fierceness, Mel nodded tentatively. "Of course I will."

"Promise. Promise me, Melalaiya. Promise that you'll wait for me."

"I promise you, Mark. I will wait. No matter how long it takes." She took a step forward, rested her head on his shoulder.

He put his arms around her again. Almost to himself, he murmured, "I know you will. I don't know why I ever had any doubts. I love you, Mel."

"I love you too, Mark."

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The next day Mel rushed through her duties as fast as she possibly could, hoping to at the very least just get a chance for a whispered goodbye with her love. But when she glanced out the thick viewport at 1730 with all of her duties finished, she knew that the dark dot disappearing into the distance was a clone trooper she had named Mark.

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You know what to do. ;-)


	5. The Package

Title: In Love and War

Author: CosmicalMadison

Rating: T

Disclaimer/Summary: See Chapter One

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Chapter Five - The Package

Mel's feelings were in direct conflict a week later. Of course she still missed Mark terribly, but this was only made worse by the fact that she couldn't confide her feelings in anyone. So, when Joaquin Briggand cornered her and asked what was wrong, she was ready to talk, enough though she knew she shouldn't.

She was sitting in the worker rec room watching some pointless holovid when the young doctor suddenly came up and sat down beside her. "Mel," he said, "we have to talk."

The urgent undertone in his voice made her freeze. She clicked off the holoprojecter and turned to him, a questioning look on her face. "What's wrong, Joaquin?"

"Well, it's you, actually," he said. He looked at her curiously. "You know, I wasn't sure how to say this before, but you've been acting differently lately, moping around and you've hardly talked to me at all in days. I was just wondering if something was wrong." He took a deep breath. "Are you all right, Mel?" he asked, voice thick with concern.

As much as she wanted to tell him, Mel wasn't sure she was ready to discuss her relationship to Mark with Joaquin. It wasn't that she was afraid he would tell a superior; he was trustworthy as far as she was concerned. For a moment the thought flicked through her mind that he would be jealous, but just as quickly it was gone. She was pretty sure the doctor didn't feel anything for her; they were just friends, after all. Finally, she decided to take the plunge.

"I'm missing someone, Joaquin," she said cryptically.

"Who?" he asked, eyes sparking with curiosity.

"Mark," the young nurse answered matter-of-factly.

A mask of confusion dropped down over the doctor's face. "Mark? Who's that?"

She sighed deeply before continuing. "He's the clone trooper that left yesterday, Joaquin, the one who's been in the residents' building for the past few days." She looked down, then quickly back up at him, taking a deep breath. "I named him Mark."

"Mel - "

But she cut him off. "Wait just a minute. There's something else." She paused, still not entirely sure that she wanted to confess to him what had happened... But she had to. "We fell in love, Joaquin."

For a moment he just sat there staring at her, unable to speak, from surprise or rage the nurse couldn't tell. When he finally spoke, his tone was underlain with hurt and disappointment. "Mel, I never would have taken you as the kind to break such strict rules."

Mel avoided meeting his eyes. "I know," she whispered. "I shouldn't have. I - " She looked up at him, tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm sorry."

The young doctor shook his head. "I'm not going to tell you that this is okay, but I do want you to know that I understand. And because I know how you feel, I'm not going to tell anyone."

She looked up at him, surprised. "You're not? But I broke my vow. I deserve - "

Joaquin stopped her with another shake of his head. "Some may think that you deserve a demotion, but I would beg to differ. I won't tell, but I do want you to do something for me."

"What is it?"

He looked her straight in the eye. "Melalaiya, you need to break this off right now, before it's too late."

The nurse's eyes flashed. "Joaquin, you know I can't do that."

"Mel, I know what you're thinking, but consider this, too: What if 'Mark' doesn't come back from the war? I'm assuming that is your plan, after all."

"Don't talk like that," Mel said, her voice trembling. "He will come back." She took a deep breath, and, voice level, repeated, "Mark will come back. He promised to find me after the war is over."

"Think of this, Mel. What if he doesn't return to you. What if he finds another girl on another planet and forgets about you? It could happen, admit it. You have to think about these things, Mel. You two should have discussed this long before he left."

Mel just sat there for a moment, feeling empty. Then, abruptly, she stood. "How can you say such things?" she whispered bitterly.

Joaquin gestured quickly. "Mel, sit down, someone will hear!"

"No!" she cried. "Listen to me. Mark will not do any of these things. He will return to me after the war. He loves me, and I love him. There's nothing you can say that will change that!" Then she turned on her heal and calmly strode from the room, leaving the handsome young doctor to stare open-mouthed after her.

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Meanwhile, half a hemisphere away, Mark and his battalion were crouched in the deeps shadows of another remote Kakashnan forest, when suddenly his commlink signaled. He touched the receive button and a elderly, male voice floated out of the tiny speaker. It sounded strangely familiar, even though the clone knew that he had never heard it before. "Execute Order Sixty-Six," it said.

Mark had no idea what that meant, but he didn't like the eerie sensation that began to stir deep in his gut.

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It was hours later when Mel was working with one of her current patients when she heard that persistent beeping that meant someone was at the med center door. She moved to answer it, but was intercepted by another young medic named Kyra, who gave her a polite look that said, "I'll get it; you go back to your work."

Thinking nothing of it, Mel went back to checking her patient's vital signs. Minutes later, Kyra returned, carrying a box. From it came a faint ticking sound, but Mel quickly dismissed it. Most likely it was the new chrono for the men's bunk building; the trio of newbies that had arrived two months ago had recently broken it while trying to play hoverball inside the building.

After finishing with the patient, Mel was heading for the window to deposit her tools, when Kyra, who was sitting at the commdesk in the center of the room with the package beside her, pulled her aside. When Mel was standing before the desk, the other nurse asked in a nervous whisper, "Mel, do you know what this is?" She motioned to the package.

Mel was suddenly confused. "Isn't it the new chrono for the men's bunk room?"

Kyra shook her head. "No. It was delivered by a clone trooper."

A bust of hope flared in Mel's chest for a moment, but withered and died just as quickly. If Mark had been there, he would have found a way to see her. "Really."

"Yeah. I have no idea what it could be." She hesitated. "But that ticking is making me nervous."

"Yes," Mel agreed, "but couldn't the clone have just delivered it if the transport that brought it couldn't make it this far into the forest?"

"I suppose," Kyra said doubtfully. "But it's unlikely."

"Well, why don't you open it and see?" Mel suggested.

"Okay," Kyra replied, reaching for the box. But just before her fingers brushed it, the comm signaled. She sighed and turned, picking up the receiver. "Konami Military Hospital Base, Nurse Kyra Plaiton speaking."

While she waited for Kyra to get finish with her call or transfer it where it needed to go, Mel let her mind wander, thinking back to earlier that morning when she had been talking to Joaquin. I shouldn't have run away from him like that; it was very rude. He's probably really angry at me. After I finish my work I'll have to go apologize to him. Oh, boy...

"No!" Kyra suddenly exclaimed, and Mel whipped her head around to face the other nurse. What Mel saw shocked her. Kyra sat there, open-mouthed, holding the commreciever in her hand, looking utterly horrified.

Mel was filled with concern and a sudden, unnamable fear. What? she mouthed. Kyra didn't even notice. Looking very pale, the desk nurse told whoever was on the phone, "Yes, I'll transfer you to his office right away." She punched a few buttons on the comm console, then hung up the receiver. When she turned back to her friend, Kyra's eyes were filled with fear. "Oh, skies..." she whispered, so softly that Mel could hardly hear her.

"What is it?" Mel asked, her voice shaking, the sparks of concern flaring into a bonfire, burning to know what just happened. "What's wrong?"

Kyra's hands were shaking. The ticking of the package seemed to dominate every other sound in the room. Finally, Kyra looked up at her fellow nurse, and taking a deep breath, began to speak in a trembling voice. "That was Jedi Master Jiyra Mijonoa, on the planet Esther." Kyra shook her head, seeming to gain more control of herself. "I can't believe this. It can't be true."

"What?" Mel nearly shouted.

Kyra sighed and looked up again. "Master Mijonoa said that the clone troopers on Esther have turned on the Republic and taken out most of the troops, Jedi, and their other allies in the war."

Mel shook her head in disbelief. "You're sure this wasn't a joke."

"Who could joke about something like this!" Kyra shouted.

"Okay, okay," Mel said. "This is bad, I know, but you have to calm down. It won't do anyone any good to upset the patients."

"Yeah," Kyra agreed softly. "Do we have any clone trooper patients right now?"

"No," Mel said, "if what the Jedi Master said was true, we'd know by now, I would think..." Trailing off, her eyes drifted to the package, still emitting it's ominous ticking. And suddenly she knew.

"KYRA, GET DOWN!" Mel screamed, diving for the floor.

And that's when the box in front of them exploded in a brilliant flash of white-hot flame.

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I'm not sure if I handled Kyra and Mel's response to learning about Order 66 as well as I could have, but tell me what you think anyway, please.


	6. Destiny

Title: In Love and War

Author: CosmicalMadison

Rating: T

Disclaimer/Summary: See Chapter One

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Chapter Six - Destiny

Mel felt her body abruptly thrown into the air with the force of the explosion. She tumbled, cartwheeling a few times before finally heading for the ground again. She held out her arms in an effort to catch herself, but failed. Suddenly her head solidly smacked the ground and the world faded into blackness.

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When she regained consciousness a minute or so later, Melalaiya's first thought was This is bad. It had been a horrible explosion, but the containment of the box and small hospital building would have magnified the effect. Many patients and staff would have been severely wounded and, though she hated to think it, several deaths would also be inevitable. The hospital would have been terribly damaged; they would have to set up all over again somewhere else...

Mel let her mind return to the present moment as her nurse's instincts almost unconsciously told her hand to feel the back of her head, where she had hit the ground. Thankfully, she wasn't critically wounded; she had only a large bump to show for her unwanted mid-air acrobatics. She was a little dizzy, but knew that that would wear off soon enough. After a few more moments of searching, she discovered that that was the extent of her injuries.

Raising her head for the first time, she noticed that she had landed in the northwest corner of the room, between two thankfully empty beds. She didn't want to see what had happened to any of the helplessly unprepared patients. Looking across the room, she could see that a gaping hole had been torn in the east side of the building. Mel also noticed the desk that the package had been sitting on; all that remained of it was a pile of charred rubble.

But not just a pile of rubble. A chill passed over the young nurse's heart when she saw the small object protruding from the bottom of the pile. It was a human hand. Kyra. In that moment, Mel knew that she could assume the worst and it would be true: the young woman that she had just began to be become friends with was gone forever. She feared that this was not the only person important to her that she would lose in this catastrophe.

Looking around, she noticed with a sinking feeling that no one else appeared to be moving either, but she pushed away the almost impossible conclusion. She couldn't be the only one left alive out of all the people here. Frantically searching the room with her eyes, she failed to hear the heavy footfalls of someone approaching.

"How do you like my handiwork?" a young, male voice said suddenly from beside her.

Mel whipped her head around - and there, facing her from across the bed to her right was a clone trooper that she was very familiar with. "Mark!" He looked different than when she had last seen him: his armor was much more worn, there were many small painful-looking scars on his face, and his dark hair was cropped even shorter than before. He stood there, leaning on the bed, measuring her with cool gray eyes. Even though they had only been separated for little more than a week, Mel would have expected a totally different reaction from him upon seeing her again.

"Ah, Melalaiya," he said finally. "I'm surprised to see you again...alive. That bomb was designed to destroy this whole facility, and take every staff member and patient with it. Obviously, it has failed in however small a way."

And suddenly, for Mel, it all fell into place. It wasn't just the clones on the planet Esther that had turned. It had been all of them, everywhere, including Mark and the other troopers on Kakashna. Someone from Mark's regiment, or Mark himself, must have delivered the package containing the bomb in order to destroy the hospital to keep it from helping the Republic in the war. And now he was here to finish off any survivors. He probably had the rest of his troop on backup just outside the clearing, only a commlink call away if there was any trouble. Mel didn't know what had been done to her love, but she hoped that whatever was controlling him could be broken through somehow. Somehow...

"Mark, how can you do this. You have just taken away the lives of dozens of innocent people, most of them patients here! How could you be so cold-hearted?"

He snorted in reply. "Mellie, Mellie, Mellie, you just can't see the big picture can you? I came here to destroy the hospital, as my master commanded. You see, if just one more facility like this stands, it means just one more group of people to aid the Republic. We can't have that. Don't you realize? If the Republic is allowed to triumph over the Confederacy in this war, they will become just the thing you seek to destroy: a totalitarian government that will rule the galaxy with an iron first, just like what you think you will prevent by winning this war."

The coldness in his voice frightened her. "You really think it will aid your cause that much to come here and kill a bunch of innocent patients who were already suffering and the nurses and doctors that were helping them and then murder the survivors?" She shook her head against the tears welling up in her eyes. "You loved me once, Mark. And I loved you. I still do, in fact. So if you can just give up this evil tyranny and come back over to the light, I can help you." She glanced across the room, once again searching for survivors and finding none. "And we can help everyone here who needs it. There will be many. Anyone not killed in that blast will have critical injuries." She looked back at him and pleaded, "Please, Mark."

But he was already shaking his head. "You just don't get it." Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, he drew his blaster rifle and leveled it at her. "So, now you have a choice. You can either die right here, right now with your precious comrades and patients, or you can come away with me and join the Confederacy. We could use a nice pretty nursie like you." He leered at her.

Mel sucked in a breath. Now this was serious. Mark was here, his blaster trained on her head, finger ready on the trigger. If she said even one thing wrong, she was done for. Gone. Obliterated. Nothing could save her now, except herself, and even that, she admitted, wasn't likely.

Of course, she couldn't join the Confederacy. It would go against everything she believed in. But even then, she wasn't sure she was completely prepared to die for her cause. Half of Mel's mind told her that she could go with Mark and then find some way to escape later, but the logical part of her brain told her that this was equally unlikely to escaping right this very moment.

She closed her eyes for a moment. Oh, skies... She still couldn't believe that it was really Mark who had come to threaten her life like this . Mark, the Mark, the one she named. The one she had loved. It was a surprising and deadly irony.

When she opened her eyes, she looked up at him and said pleadingly, "Oh, Mark..."

But a familiar voice interrupted hers. "Over here you creep!"

Mel turned at the same time Mark did, searching for the source of the voice. A flicker of motion caught her eye, and she spotted him. Joaquin Briggand was on his stomach under a partially collapsed desk, in a perfect sniper position with his blaster aimed squarely at the clone. In her mind, Mel winced. Why had Joaquin given away his unknown position like that? But she already knew the answer: he was trying to distract Mark, to keep him from harming her. Apparently, it was working for the moment.

The nurse looked up at the trooper, who still hadn't pinpointed the doctor's position. But, still, the thoughts were racing through her mind. Why had Joaquin given away his position? And, more importantly, if he wanted to fire, why hadn't he? As she thought this, Mel realized that what she had told Mark was the truth. She did still love him. She didn't want him killed, but a stun bolt would be good to get out of this situation. Mel was still holding out hope that Mark could be turned back, turned back into the young man she had once loved instead of the monster he had become. She hoped Joaquin knew this.

Suddenly, the buzz-zap of a single blaster bolt being fired pierced the air around her. Mark had spotted Joaquin. She looked up just in time to see the bolt glance off the desk leg to the doctor's right. But Mark was already advancing, stepping out from between the beds to get a better shot. Joaquin got off three quick shots, live blasts, not the stun bolts Mel had hoped for; two missed entirely, but one grazed the clone trooper's leg. Mark didn't even flinch.

As the clone advanced still farther, Joaquin struggling to get out from under the desk, to get behind it where he would have more protection. But it was too late. As if in slow motion, Mel saw Mark stop a dozen steps before Joaquin, wondered again why he wasn't firing, saw the doctor frantically trying to wriggle away with no success.

And suddenly Mel knew the horrible truth. Joaquin Briggand was going to die. She was going to lose yet another friend to this man, this horrible monster whom she had told she loved on numerous occasions. She was beginning to doubt that testament. It only took one shot. Mark's finger slowly tightened on the trigger, as if he were relishing the moment. And then a single bright red laser bolt snapped out of the gun, burning into Joaquin's chest. With a yelp, the young doctor's body slumped to the ground.

Mel was so overcome she couldn't even cry out. She'd only known Joaquin since she'd come to Kakashna eight months ago, but they had been close friends just the same. Now every one of their friendly conversations came back to her, the things they had talked about, the dreams they had shared. Joaquin had told her that he wanted to be a famous surgeon someday, and that, like her, he wanted to have a family, wife and kids and live on a planet called Kora that supposedly had some of the best medical training in the galaxy. And now all of that had boiled down to nothing. Just like that, with one twitch of a finger, the young man's life was extinguished. Here he was, gone at age twenty-three, his life taken away just as it was beginning. Mel just couldn't fathom how anyone, let alone Mark, changed or not, could do something that evil.

As she looked up again, the clone came back to stand between the beds in front of her, barring any escape route that she might have had. Mel stared up at him from where she still sat on the floor. "Why did you do that?" she demanded softly, tears welling up in her eyes. "Why? He was my friend, you knew that. He was only twenty-three years old. And Kyra was younger than that even; she was only nineteen. How can you do all these evil things? These are innocent people. None of them ever did anything to you. In fact, if it weren't for us you most likely wouldn't even be here right now!"

Mark just shrugged as he casually brought his rifle into line with her once again. "They served their purpose. And you will either serve yours or be destroyed. So, what is your decision?"

Mel's heart was beating so loudly that she was sure it could be heard all the way to Coruscant. She knew that the decision she made right now would mean life or death for her. Of course she didn't want to die, but neither did she want to join the Separatists. No, she couldn't just turn her back on everything she had fought for for all these years. Besides, she knew, she wouldn't be the first to die a martyr for the Republic.

Shaking all over, but trying to put as much confidence into her words as possible, she said quietly, "I have made my decision."

The gun was still pointed at her. Mark asked in a harsh voice, "Well what is it? I haven't got all day."

She stared into his eyes. "I will never join you."

"So be it!" Mark exclaimed. "If it is your destiny to die here, Melalaiya Nova, so be it!" He took careful aim with the blaster, and was about to pull the trigger, when a strange look came over his face. Suddenly, the hard mask seem to drop away, the eyes dark with malice lightened into the blue she had come to love. The blaster shook in his hand as it dropped away from her, now pointed at the floor. This was the Mark she knew.

She was about to say something, anything, when the harsh new face returned just as quickly as the original had replaced it. Mel gulped as the blaster regained its aim on her. After flipping the selector switch on the grip of the gun, Mark's finger began to move toward the trigger.

Mel squeezed her eyes shut, wondering when the blow would hit her. Would it hurt badly? It wasn't like she'd ever been shot before. She wondered if she would suffer, or if her death would be quick and relatively painless.

But, more importantly, she wondered what would happen to her after she was dead. Mel had never been very religious, but now she wondered. She knew she wouldn't become one with the Force as Jedi supposedly did. She had heard some of her colleagues who were of a religion called Christianity talk about places called heaven and hell. Some said there was no afterlife, only blackness and silence. Still others spoke of a place called purgatory where time was paid for bad things done over the course of one's lifetime. Mel didn't know where she would end up, if anywhere, but she hoped that if there was life after death it was in a relatively nice place.

She was so preoccupied with these thoughts that she never even heard the shot. Suddenly, something hard and red-hot smacking her in the side of the head, and in the darkness she was whiling toward the ground. Then there was nothing.

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(-: Reviews, please. That little button is your friend and you know it:-)


	7. New Beginnings

Title: In Love and War

Author: CosmicalMadison

Rating: T

Disclaimer/Summary: See Chapter One

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Chapter Seven - New Beginnings

Mel surprised herself by waking up. By all rights, a blaster shot to the head should have killed her on the spot. Abruptly, it all came back to her as clearly as if it had happened only heartbeats ago, though really it had been much longer than that.

_After flipping the selector switch on the grip of the gun, Mark's finger began to move toward the trigger._

Mark had moved the selector lever on his blaster before firing on her; Mel hadn't noticed it at the time. And that meant if Joaquin had received a live shot, she had only been stunned. As the reality of what had happened came crashing back down on her, a heavy weight seemed to settle on her chest. Mel tried to push the thought away. There would be more than enough time for mourning in the near future.

What was more important was her current position. How long had it been since her encounter with Mark? She judged not very. Where was she, still in the hospital? She wasn't sure, but she lay perfectly still, even trying to minimize her breathing. What if Mark was still here, and he thought he had gotten her with a live bolt and she was dead? She would be gone for sure if she made even the slightest twitch.

Suddenly, something cool grabbed her wrist. Involuntarily, Mel's eyes flew open and she quickly took in her surroundings. Indeed, she was still lying on her back in the corner of the hospital where she had fallen. Mark didn't appear to be in sight, but as she looked toward her feet, what she saw mildly surprised her.

Beside her was a teenage girl, no more than sixteen or seventeen standard years old, gripping Mel's wrist. She was dressed in the native Kakashnan garb of sand-colored tunic and pants. Her hair was straight and black and fell to just beyond her shoulders. Her appearance was not out of the ordinary, but Mel immediately knew that there was something about this girl. But the nurse wouldn't have recognized it if she hadn't been what she was. Everything about this girl, from the look on intent concentration on her face to the gentleness of her touch said one thing. She was a medic.

The young medic knelt beside her gripping Mel's left wrist between her thumb and index finger well attentively watching her chrono and nodding her head slightly as the seconds ticked by. She was taking Mel's pulse. It was standard procedure, the older nurse knew, to check the vital signs on any unconscious person after such a disaster as she had just witnessed.

When the girl finished the counting a moment later, she glanced up at Mel's face. Smiling slightly, she said, "So, you're awake. That's good." She turned and picked up a clipboard that had been lying on the floor to her left. She scribbled something on the front paper, then flipped back a few farther into the stack. "So, you must be. . .Nurse Melalaiya Nova?"

"Yes, that's me," Mel replied.

But the medic was still looking at her expectantly. Mel wondered if the girl was hard of hearing, but that was when she realized that she really hadn't spoken. Trying again, much to her alarm, she found that she couldn't speak. She tried to sit up, also without any luck. Just as she was about to panic, she remembered. Of course, the stun bolt. She recognized the strange tingling numbness that coursed throughout her body and, with a sinking feeling, knew that it would be hours before it wore off.

The medic blinked, then blushed slightly. "Oh, right. You can't talk. Silly me." She paused for a moment. "Ah, well, even though you can't talk you probably have a lot of questions. I'll try to answer some for you. Well, first of all, my name is Julian Antilles, and I'm a medic-in-training form the nearby village of D'raether. A group of about eight of us has come to help evacuate the wounded from this base to a Republic starship that has landed nearby to take you all somewhere else. Um, let's see, what else would you want to know? Hmm, ah, we judge that it's been at least half an hour since the bomb went off. Um, if you haven't figured it out already, you took a stun blast to the head so you'll be out of commission for a couple of hours at least." The nurse stopped, seemingly trying to figure out what else Mel would want to know and coming up blank. "Well, I think that's about all. I'm about done checking you out, and then I have to see to a couple more people before we start transporting you to the ship. You won't be needed for anything until then, or even for a time afterward, not that you could help if you wanted to." She cracked a smile. "So, I've heard that many people can't stand being conscious and not able to move around when they've been stun-shot. If you like, I can give you some medication that will put you out until its effects wear off. Would you like that?"

Would she ever. Mel really did not like the idea of having to lay here or anywhere for hours without being able to move her body in any way beyond the ability to blink. Apparently, Medic-in-training Julian had once again forgotten that tiny detail.

Antilles blushed again. "Oops, that's right. You can't talk. Ah, how about this: look left for 'no', right for 'yes'."

Mel looked right.

"Okay, then. Just a moment." The girl turned to her left and unlatched a brown medcase. Inside it were vials of all colors of the spectrum. Julian selected a tiny glass container filled with a bluish liquid and loaded it into a syringe. She turned back to Mel with the medicine in hand. "Are you ready?"

Mel rolled her eyes.

Julian echoed the gesture. "Right. Okay, here we go." She rolled up the left sleeve of Mel's med tunic and inserted the needle into her arm. Slowly squeezing the top of the syringe down, the medic-in-training said, "It should only take a minute or two to work." But as she removed the needle from her patient's arm, Mel's vision was already starting to blur. A moment later she was once again unconscious.

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This time Mel awoke in a hospital bed. She could tell that it was a hospital bed without even opening her eyes because it had that interesting feeling of not being quite comfortable but not terribly uncomfortable either. She could also tell from the almost undetectable vibration of the engines running through her that she was on a starship.

Slowly Mel attempted to squeeze her right hand into fist. It worked. Good, apparently her body was in good working order again, and the stun blast had worn off. After a few more minutes of experimenting, she found that this was wholly true.

Opening her eyes, Mel could see that she was indeed resting on a hospital bed inside a ship's med bay, she supposed the one that Julian had told her about. Melalaiya had heard that most ships housed their medical stations in the center of the ships to protect from battle hits and such. However, the med section of this particular ship was in a ring around the outer edge of the transport. To the left and right, Mel could see beds lined up against the wall and disappearing around the contours of the ship. Looking forward, she saw a giant viewport taking up most of the outside wall. The ship appeared to still be in orbit, and through the viewport she could see part of the planet Kakashna and a breathtaking field of stars.

Tearing herself away from the view, Mel could see that only a half dozen others populated the med center along with her, that she could see. Most of them were sleeping, but a few seemed to be enjoying the view. Far to her right, she could see an older nurse, one who looked familiar yet she couldn't remember his name.

"Excuse me," she called to him. "Nurse, could you come here for a moment?"

He turned from the view, a pleasant smile on his face, and as he came toward her she caught a glimpse of his nametag: Nurse Ykali Douche. When he stood beside her, he said, "So, Nurse Nova, you're awake. How are you feeling?"

"Quite well, thank you," she replied. "Um, could you please tell me where this transport is headed once we break orbit?"

He nodded. "Certainly. The surviving members of the Konami medical unit are being relocated to a new base on the planet Rosha, in the Gartoa system, to continue assisting Republic forces in the war." He smiled pleasantly, and asked, "Do you have any more questions?"

Mel thought for a moment. "No, not really. Thank you." Douche nodded, and started to turn away, when Mel, with a stab of mental anguish, remembered the fate that had befallen her best friend. "Wait."

The male nurse turned back. "Yes, Miss Nova?"

Mel took a deep breath. This would be hard for her, but she knew she had to ask. She met the man's eyes. "I wish to see Dr. Joaquin Briggand's body, to, ah, say my goodbyes to him." She looked down quickly as tears threatened.

"I'm afraid that that won't be necessary," the nurse replied.

Mel's mouth dropped open in shock as she felt another stabbing sensation in her heart. How dare this man! How dare he deny her request to see her friend one last time, privately, to say her farewells...

She looked up just in time to see his grin as the older nurse glanced toward an open door to Mel's right. For moment, hope flared in her heart. Could Joaquin still be... But just as quickly, she denied it. Of course not. Mark had shot him; he was dead.

Just as she was thinking this, through the door strode a very familiar face. To her surprise and delight, there was Joaquin Briggand, alive and for the most part healthy, though there was a large bacta pack over the place where he had taken the clone's blaster shot. There was a broad smile on his face and his eyes shown as he moved toward her.

Without a second thought, Mel swung her legs over the side of her bed, jumped to the floor, ran to Joaquin, and threw her arms around him. After a second of hesitation, the young man put his arms around her too and tightened them gently. "Oh, Joaquin," Mel cried through her tears of joy, "I'm so glad you're alive!"

After moment, Joaquin pulled her away and held her at arms length. "I'm glad to see you well too, Mel."

"But how can this be," Mel asked. "I was sure you were..." She trailed off as a tear slipped down her cheek.

"Dead? No." He smiled gently and wiped the tear from her cheek with his thumb. "The doctors on board say it was touch and go for while, but I managed to pull through." He fingered the bacta pack on his chest for a moment, then muttered, "I'll have a nasty scar to show for it though."

Mel giggled, but then her face went straight again. "But, Joaquin, do you know what happened with Mark after we were, you know, taken care of?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I asked the guy in the bed next to mine who was there. After Mark finished with you he went to the cafeteria." He glanced at the ground. "He took the lives of another half dozen people there: three nurses, a doctor, a janitor, and a cook. I also heard from one of the doctors that evidence was found of a ship taking off not long after that, so there's a high probability that Mark and his battalion escaped to another world."

Shaking her head sorrowfully, Mel sighed. "This is awful; so much death and destruction. Somehow I feel like it's all my fault."

Joaquin squeezed her hand. "Don't say that, Melalaiya. It's not true. No matter how much you may think so, you couldn't have stopped it any more than you could had caused it." He paused for a moment, then looked at her shyly. "For what it's worth, I'm proud of what you did, saying that you would never join the Separatists. I know a lot of people that wouldn't even think of refusing. They might join just to save their own lives." He smiled at her. "That was really brave."

Mel blushed. "Yeah, thanks." She smiled back at him.

Suddenly, Joaquin put him arm around her turned to the viewport. "Isn't it beautiful?" he asked, waving his other hand at the view.

When Mel turned, she found herself almost immediately lost in the beauty of the stars. "Yeah," she breathed. Her friend tightened his grip on her, and after a moment Mel rested her head on his shoulder.

And suddenly Mel felt safe, the safest she'd felt in years. In this moment, the galaxy felt as much at peace as it would ever be in her lifetime. Here she was, alive and with her best friend, seemingly saved from death only by the miracle of the shipboard doctors, on her way to another planet with more people that she could help. But there was one thing that tarnished the moment: Mark had gotten away, taking the lives of six more people with him.

Mel raised her head to look at her friend. "Joaquin?"

He looked over at her. "Yes, Mel?"

She took a deep breath. "Joaquin, I want to find Mark. I'm sure that with enough perseverance he can be turned back to the light." She nodded, becoming more sure with each word. "I know I can do it."

The young doctor frowned. "I believe you, Mel, but it would be next to impossible to find him. We know a ship left the planet not far from Konami med base, but we're not even one hundred percent positive that Mark was aboard it. Though the probability is high, even if he was, no one saw the ship take off, so there isn't even the remotest chance of plotting where he could have gone."

For a moment discouragement claimed her, but just as quickly Mel bounced back. "But there has to be a way. We could find his troop's records somewhere, see where he went or where their next assignment is. Couldn't we?"

Joaquin frowned. "We could, but it would be very difficult. For instance, we'd need a trained hacker. Happen to know any right off hand?"

Mel sighed. "No, I don't, but I'm sure we could find one."

"And the money to pay him?"

She hesitated. "I'm sure we'd figure something out."

Joaquin gave her a look.

"The point is, Joaquin, this is something that I feel like I have to do. I feel...like it's my responsibility to turn him back." She stared into his face, eyes pleading. "Please, I need to do this."

The frown dissolved from his face. "All right, Mel. I can see that this is very important to you. And even though it will be dangerous - not to mention illegal - I'll help you. Once the base on Rosha is well established, we'll go together and try to find him. Okay?"

Her face lit up. "You promise?"

"I promise." He squeezed her hand. "It would be my honor to help you. After all, it's the least I can do to make up for my errors earlier today." He sighed heavily. "If it weren't for my bad judgment, he'd be dead already."

It was then that Mel thought to mention how Joaquin had used live fire to try to dissuade Mark instead of the stun bolts she would have wanted. But, after a moment, she figured that there would be plenty of time to discuss it in the future. Right now, she was just enjoying the moment.

"Don't worry about it," she replied. "You did all you could."

As they turned back to the viewport, Melalaiya once again lost herself in the glorious view. It was ironic, the way she thought of stars. She knew from science class that most of them were billions upon billions of years old, and yet to her they had always seemed to symbolize new beginnings. For almost every special moment in her life that she could remember, she recalled staring at the stars. She had always loved looking at them."

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a middle-aged female voice calling over the loudspeaker, "This is Captain Kami Lepher speaking. The New Republic Starship Genesis is now ready to begin our hyperspace jump. All passengers and crew please find your seats within the next few minutes. Thank you."

Joaquin detached himself from Mel and, giving her a last smile, started toward the door from which he had entered. "So, I'll see you later, right?" he tossed over his shoulder.

"Right," Mel called back as he disappeared around the corner.

After one last long look at the view, Mel turned around to face a hyperspace jump and her new life.

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So, there you have it! For the first time since who knows when I have finished a story that I can be proud of. If you've read this far and it didn't bore you to death, thank you so much! I hope you enjoyed it.

I am entertaining the idea of writing a sequel in which Mel and Joaquin go after Mark. What do you think? Please drop me a line. You can either review this story or e-mail me at again, thanks! (-:


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